Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Lights (no camera), Action!

think we've been putting up some excellent work thus far in our few times in the space with full lights and costumes etc. The light has made a HUGE difference in my time in the show.
Specifically:
Observing who is highlighted in a scene and who is not in terms of the lighting, and trying to unearth why. For some scenes, especially the ones I'm in, to see why. In terms of the "come away death" scene, the spookiness of Valentine just simply sitting back and watching in faint light as Feste and Orsino and Cesario are highlighted keeps the tug and pull of Cesario and Valentine alive, and it really helps create the tether between Feste and Orsino that begins to fester (funny verb, eh?) in it.

I've noticed something pretty exciting as well, in that the moment we are in the space in the light in our costumes, it's like our "showtime" caps have been put on. Because no matter the lack of focus or whatnot in the runs in the studios, the minute our bodies sense the opportunity to truly perform, to let loose and live in the reasons we're pursuing this in the first place, to perform, it's like we just snap into "let's DO IT!" mode. Though we might not have "felt" as good about last night as we did about Saturday night, I think it may be a misconception, because feelings are useless in theater, it's the audience's reaction and understanding of it that makes a run better or worse. I spoke to Merrick today, who had no knowledge of Twelfth Night before the run, and asked him if he understood the play. He replied that he understood everything perfectly, from the plot of Olivia and Cesario and Orsino, to the subplots Sebastian and Antonio and Malvolio, Maria, Toby, and Andrew,!
to where Feste fit within the play's context. And he meant it.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm really wanting to get this in front of an audience. And I know that may be a naive feeling, but I think we're going to discover alot about ourselves, but more importantly the characters, when they (as characters) must go before a crowd and speak our hearts.

Let's do it.

- Duke

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